On Soccer: MLS Draft shouldn't be overlooked despite drawbacks

Kelvin Kuo/US PresswireNick LaBrocca, a Howell native and former star at CBA and Rutgers, was taken by the Colorado Rapids with the 35th pick in the 2007 MLS Draft. Now with Chivas, he had a breakout year in 20011, making the MLS All-Star team.

Red Bulls GM and sporting director Erik Soler has been on the job for three years, but he has never been a big believer in building a team through the draft.

Foreigners, in general, have enough trouble with the concepts of a salary cap and a playoff system. To burden them with having to scout college players might just put them over the edge.

In truth, Soler is somewhat right about the annual draft, which will take place Thursday in Kansas City, Mo. With the continued development of academy teams, Major League Soccer clubs have their own feeder system.

With the draft reduced from three rounds to two this year, MLS likely feels the same as Soler. Still, there are talented players out there that Soler shouldn’t overlook.

“We’ll see what’s there,” Soler said last month. “We will take the combine and the draft serious because we are a professional club, but it will be hard to find a player to make the team.”

The Red Bulls have just one pick, in the second round at No. 31 overall, having traded their first-round pick (No. 12), along with Tony Tchani and Danleigh Borman, to Toronto FC for Dwayne De Rosario.

“It’s not whether the players are good enough or not, it’s the transition that is difficult,” Soler said. “If you look at the history of the draft, people at that position do not make the team.”

If you scout well, however, gems can be found.

In 2007, the Colorado Rapids selected forward Omar Cummings out of Cincinnati at No. 31, and he has scored 33 career goals, including 14 in 2010. In 2001, the San Jose Earthquakes selected defender Craig Waibel out of the A-League with the 31st pick and he had a solid career for a decade.

Players such as 2011 All-Star Nick LaBrocca (35th, Rutgers), Tally Hall (44th) and Adam Cristman (48th) were all chosen in 2007 after Cummings. And when you see talent like Tim Ream, Jozy Altidore, Pablo Mastroeni, Shalrie Joseph and Brian Ching selected in the second round; Edson Buddle and Kevin Hartman in the third round; and Michael Bradley and Jonathan Bornstein in the fourth round, the draft is not something you can overlook.

HATS OFF TO HENRY

We’re still not crazy about the long-term health concerns of Thierry Henry’s loan to Arsenal, but for one day MLS and the Red Bulls look good.

Monday, in his debut with his former club against Leeds in the FA Cup, Henry came on in the 68th minute and scored 10 minutes later in a 1-0 victory.

WPS IN TRANSITION

The Women’s Professional Soccer Draft will take place Friday in Kansas City as the five teams — the Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Philadelphia Independence, Sky Blue FC and Western New York Flash — gear up for what is expected to be a year of transition.

The league’s fourth year will begin in April with one fewer team following the termination of magicjack, a new CEO in Jennifer O’Sullivan and rosters that will be different from what you previously knew.

With the majority of U.S. national team players signing three-year contracts prior to the inaugural season in 2009, and with the league looking to reduce costs, many of the big-name players have yet to sign.

If you look at the 29 players U.S. women’s national team coach Pia Sundhage called in for training camp to prepare for CONCACAF Olympic qualifying, 17 are out of contract. Among the national team regulars, only Flash forward Alex Morgan remains with the same team from 2011.

The most stunning change so far was the departure of Heather O’Reilly from Sky Blue after three years. The East Brunswick native, who got married in October, signed with the Breakers Dec. 28. She and her husband, Dave, live in Cambridge, Mass.

In the only other transaction of note, defender Becky Sauerbrunn, who played so well against France in the World Cup semifinals following the red card to Rachel Buehler in the quarterfinals, signed with Sky Blue after being on the magicjack roster last season.

The WPS Draft will consist of four rounds (Sky Blue will pick second overall and has a total of five selections), but with only five teams the talent glut is such that not many draft picks will make opening-day rosters, much less see playing time.

Also, a report Monday said U.S. forward Abby Wambach and Brazilian forward Marta have yet to commit to continue playing in the league.

Marta has played for three different teams in three years, winning the title twice, but if she returns this year her $500,000 salary will likely take a significant hit.

ETC.

United States midfielder Clint Dempsey scored the first hat trick of his career in a 4-0 FA Cup victory over Charlton, and Landon Donovan had an assist for Everton in a 2-0 win over non-league Tamworth. They will play each other in the tournament’s next round.

U.S. forward Eddie Johnson failed his physical and will not be joining Puebla. Johnson, 27, has been without a team since leaving Fulham last summer.

U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu scored his third goal of the season, tapping in a cross in the 88th minute, to give Sporting Lisbon a 1-1 tie with Rio Ave in the Portuguese League Cup.

Rangers coach Ally McCoist said the club turned down an offer from Sochaux for U.S. midfielder Maurice Edu. McCoist would like Edu to extend his contract instead.

Tim Howard’s windblown, 100-yard goal against Bolton last week made him the fourth goalkeeper to score in the English Premier League. The others were Peter Schmeichel, Brad Friedel and Paul Robinson.

U.S. and Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones has been suspended eight weeks for intentionally stepping on an opponent’s injured foot.

U.S. midfielder Jose Torres returned from a 3½-month layoff following foot surgery and played the entire match as Pachuca opened the Mexican Clausura season with a scoreless tie at Santos Laguna.

The U.S. will play Italy in a friendly Feb. 29 in Genoa.

The U.S. Under-23 team will scrimmage the U.S. national team Friday and Jan. 17 in Carson, Calif., as it prepares for CONCACAF Olympic qualifying in March.

U.S. Under-17 coach Wilmer Cabrera is leaving after 4½ seasons. Cabrera coached the team to the second round of the 2009 and 2011 Under-17 World Cups.

Lionel Messi earned his third straight World Player of the Year award while Homare Sawa, who led Japan to the World Cup championship in 2011, ended Marta’s five-year run to earn women’s honors.

ESPN’s Rob Stone is leaving to become the lead studio host on Fox Soccer, with former U.S. national team forward Eric Wynalda becoming the network’s primary studio analyst.

Stanford senior midfielder Teresa Noyola and Duke junior forward Andrew Wenger were named winners of the Hermann Trophy as college soccer’s top female and male players, respectively.

Ted Howard, deputy general secretary of CONCACAF since 1998, was promoted to acting general secretary following the resignation of Chuck Blazer. Howard, 66, served as executive director of the North American Soccer League from 1971-84.

Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez, the MLS Defender of the Year last season, tore his ACL on the first day of his loan to Nuremberg and will miss most, if not all of the MLS season.

Galaxy forward Robbie Keane has been loaned to Aston Villa for two months.

The Cameroon football federation, which suspended national team captain Samuel Eto’o 15 games for taking part in a boycott of a friendly with Algeria Nov. 15 in protest of unpaid bonuses, reduced the ban to four games.

Manchester City has developed into one of the better home teams in Europe. In the calendar year of 2011, City collected 52 points from a possible 54 on its home turf.

Everton defender Phil Jagielka could miss six weeks due to ligament damage in his right knee.

West Bromwich Albion will be without captain Chris Brunt for up to 10 weeks after the midfielder fractured his right ankle last week.

Former Fulham coach Mark Hughes is in talks with Queens Park Rangers about the coaching vacancy after the club fired Neil Warnock Sunday night.

Cardiff plays at Crystal Palace today and Liverpool plays at Manchester City on Wednesday in the semifinals of the English League Cup.

Manchester United hasn’t pushed the panic button yet, but the club did bring back 37-year-old Paul Scholes from retirement to play the rest of the season.

Parma’s Franco Colomba became the 11th coach to be fired in Serie A this season. He was replaced by Roberto Donadoni.

Inter Milan plays AC Milan on Sunday.

Midfielder Jose Antonio Reyes is leaving Sevilla for Atletico Madrid. ... Athletic Bilbao winger Iker Muniain, at 19 years and 20 days, became the youngest player to make 100 Spanish league appearances.

FC Twente, in third place in the Dutch league, fired coach Co Adriaanse halfway into his one-year contract. The club said there were strained relations between Adriaanse and the players. Strangely, Twente hired Steve McClaren, who coached Twente in 2009 and 2010 before leaving for Wolfsburg.

Paul Clement, an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, joined Ancelotti’s staff at Paris Saint-Germain. Former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele is also on the staff.

The French league resumes Saturday.

Former Northern Ireland midfielder Jim Magilton has been named coach of the Melbourne Victory for the rest of the Australian league season.

The Brisbane Roar has not won in six games following its Australian-record 37-game unbeaten streak, which ended Dec. 4.

Palmeiras goalkeeper Marcos, who played 20 years with the Brazilian club, announced his retirement.

Former Brazil striker Ronaldo says he has dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that can cause fever, headache and pain in muscles and joints.